33 Stunning Ikea Kallax Hacks for Really Small Budgets

The Ikea KALLAX range has been around for a long time now and lends itself so well to hacking. It has previously been seen under the EXPEDIT name too but the basic concept hasn’t changed. You may well own or have owned the KALLAX at some point, but have you considered any of the following hacks to turn it into something stunning?

The KALLAX range is so versatile you can easily create a great deal of different pieces of furniture with relatively little work. From entranceway consoles to window seats, dressers to rabbit hutches! This list covers them all!

The majority of these hacks have tutorials, but we also give you tips and tricks to achieve the looks as well as where you can find what you need.

Ikea hacks are a great way to introduce amazing decor relatively cheaply and we love them! You can find many more great ideas on our Ikea hacks page, including hacks for the MALM (dresser) and KURA (kids bed).

Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest to see tons of great Ikea Hack ideas as well as home decor inspiration.

This post may contain affiliate links. See my full disclosure herefor more info.

Ikea Kallax Rustic Storage Box Hack

Source: Handy Harry on Welke.nl

We adore this rustic storage hack from Handy Harry on Welke.nl. He has used reclaimed timber boards to create storage crates for each of the KALLAX compartments. The wood gives a lovely natural feel to the otherwise white room and it’s great the way two KALLAX units have been used to give a really long sideboard.

The mix of wood and white furniture is a classic look that always works well in any situation.

Ikea Kallax Window Seat Hack

Source: The Heart and Haven via Tonic Living

This is an absolutely stunning Ikea KALLAX window seat hack from The Heart and Haven. The upholstered bench cushion is gorgeously simple and is made by Tonic Living. We couldn’t find the leather baskets they have used in the compartments, but a great resource for alternative KALLAX baskets is through this post by Apartment Therapy. You can also find a few on Etsy.

This hack goes to show how much of a transformation is possible with the Ikea KALLAX. It fits in beautifully with the high-end finish to the rest of the room and accessories.

Ikea Kallax Wine Rack Hack

Source: Great British Design via Etsy

Any piece of furniture dedicated to wine is always going to go down well in our household! This great wine rack from Great British Design on Etsy is a great KALLAX hack that uses their own wine rack inserts specially made for the KALLAX. They are available in white or black.

We love the way they have alternated the inserts and left spaces for whiskey bottles, champagne and accessories.

Ikea Kallax Handbag Display Hack

Source: Pinimg

If you are a handbag-a-holic like Catrin then you’re probably going to love this Ikea KALLAX display cabinet hack that uses wardrobe lights, such as these to highlight your prized possessions.

For a masculine version, perhaps the same hack could be used for displaying power tools!?

Ikea Kallax Mid Century Vinyl Storage Hack

Source: lehippo_ via Instagram

It turns out vinyl records fit perfectly in a KALLAX unit…could this be the reason it was designed perhaps?!!? This stylish mid-century modern hack from lehippo_ on Instagram makes great use of this fact to house vinyls, speakers and a turntable on top. There’s still room for a era-appropriate bowl too!

The look is completed by six tapered mid-century style legs.

Ikea Kallax Toy Storage Hack

Source: Ikeahackers

It’s always hard to keep control of the ‘toy situation’ in any house, but this clever Ikea KALLAX hack from Ikeahackers gives a great solution for somewhere to tidy them away before settling down for a story. The top has been covered in upholstery foam and a sheepskin rug to create a comfy seating area. They have even used Ikea spice racks to create book shelves!

Check out our huge post on Ikea kids hacks for lots more ideas for children’s furniture, storage and accessories.

Ikea Kallax Tall Shelving Hack

Source: Apartment Therapy

This amazing KALLAX hack from Apartment Therapy takes the KALLAX to new heights, literally! The units have been painted a deep blue along with the drawer and door inserts, but the main attraction is the fact they are stacked on top of each other to give an imposing shelving system upon which stunning pieces of artwork, accessories and photos can be displayed.

Of course, you do need the height to be able to accommodate this, but if you do this would be a stunning statement piece. I don’t think anything other than the huge banana plant next to it would do it justice!

Ikea Kallax Rustic Cabinet Hack

Source: Homemade Lovely

Homemade Lovely have come up with a gorgeous KALLAX hack with this rustic cabinet. The compartments have had distressed wooden doors fitted on standard butt hinges, which give it a more authentic look. We love the distressing, done by utilising an assortment of tools to just bash away at the doors.

They way they have carfully thought through the creation of this piece of furniture makes it sit well as a rustic industrial style within what is essentially a french country style room. Very clever!

Ikea Kallax Room Divider Hack

Source: Ikeahackers

Another great way to use the Ikea KALLAX. This room divider hack from Ikeahackers combines two different sizes of KALLAX units with custom built frames underneath and between them. It’s always a good piece of design to combine room dividers with storage and the use of the KALLAX for this purpose is perfect.

I don’t think there are many better looks in interior design than a white shelf with an assortment of books on it… maybe that’s just me!?

Ikea Kallax Media Unit Hack

Source: mercedes.dozci via Instagram

To prove my point, here is another white shelf with books! This one sits perfectly in the highly styled room by mercedes.dozci on Instagram. This Ikea KALLAX hack consists of attaching castors to the base of two different sizes of KALLAX. That’s it. But it looks stunning in the setting because the accessories around it become the star. You don’t necessarily need an expensive piece of furniture when you can style a room like this!

They have the ubiquitous fiddle leaf fig taking pride of place as well as a rather eclectic collection of pictures, artwork and cactii. Also a lovely friesian cow hide rug!

Ikea Kallax Rabbit Hutch Hack

Source: Ikeahackers

Going a bit more left-field with this rabbit hutch KALLAX hack from Ikeahackers. It really is a genius use of the KALLAX and the separate compartments give the bunnies a lot of areas to explore. It certainly makes for a better looking hutch than the standard brown, treated plywood hutches you usually see!

I’m not sure how long it would last, but it would probably still be a cheaper alternative.

Ikea Kallax Mid Century Sideboard Hack

Source: toujourspaloma via Instagram

Another mid-century modern vinyl record storage hack, this one from toujourspaloma on Instagram. This time the creator has used doors on the middle two compartments to give more of a standard sideboard look, or perhaps they didn’t have enough records?

It is amazing how the addition of tapered legs, as with the previous example, can make such a difference to what is quite a basic piece of furniture in the KALLAX. They have really made a vinyl shrine of this area with the display shelves above the sideboard. I really like this one!

Ikea Kallax Wood Surround Hack

Source: Young House Love

Some of these Ika KALLAX hacks are fairly simple in concept, but completely transform the unit into something special. This example from Young House Love is no exception, with a wooden surround all the way around the KALLAX unit giving it a completely different vibe.

This look was achieved by edge-jointing pine boards and staining then a dark walnut colour before ataching to the unit. It’s the age-old trick of adding in a bit of wood to create a bit of added interest to the piece and it really worked here.

Ikea Kallax Side Table Hack

Source: Hawthorn and Main

Once again, just the addition of some wood, this time in the form of handmade legs, gives a stunning transformation. This side table hack from Hawthorne and Main has simply been given some stylish legs and some awesome accessories to make a statement in any room.

The legs have been made (albeit with a good quality Dewalt mitre saw!) from simple pine timber cut at angles to create the mid-century style base legs you can see above.

The styling with plants, accessories and rug are the added bonus that really make the look work well, but the simplicity of both the KALLAX and the hack allow the accessories to shine.

Ikea Kallax Long Sideboard Hack

Source: Honeybear Lane

The colour combinations in this Ikea KALLAX hack from Honeybear Lane are excellent and bang on trend. The grey/blue colour used to paint the KALLAX units works perfectly with the browns of the rattan basket inserts, the wood worktop surface and the cardboard boxes. What is clever is they have only used the horizontal elements of the two KALLAX units either side of the main central one, which gives them wider shelves and a bit of variation in shadow space.

Adding the wood worksurface on top and the baseboards at the bottom brings the whole piece together as one unit. It is a really long unit which gives it a lot of presence in the room. It also adds so much storge, but done in such a stylish way. I really like this hack for it’s well thought out design.

Ikea Kallax Lighting Hack

Source: Ikeahackers

The creators of this Ikea KALLAX hack at Ikeahackers have really put a lot of effort into making a dramatic visual piece of furniture. They have used cabinet lights, like these, across the top of each compartment to highlight them. The clever part s that they have painted the outside of the unit a darker colour to make the lighted white interior stand out even more!

This would be a great hack to use if you have some amazing pieces of artwork to display, or even an amazing sneaker collection to display. What would you put in in this display unit!?

Ikea Kallax Leather Cubby Hack

Source: The Decorista

Another KALLAX hack with the grey/brown combination that works so well, this one from The Decorista. Here the KALLAX unit has been painted the same colour as the surrounding decor to help it blend in a bit. This is a good trick for smaller spaces to help prevent a big piece of furniture like this to not stand out too much.

The ‘DOMPEN’ dried coconut palm leaf boxes don’t seem to be available anymore, but you could create something similar by stitching squares of a similar fabric/paper to the front of a plain insert box with a thick brown thread.

Ikea Kallax Kitchen Island Hack

Source: Jen Lou Meredith

This is an imaginative use of the KALLAX from Jen Lou Meredith as a kitchen island. It is simply a KALLAX unit with a wooden work surface added to the top and castors on the bottom but it adds really useful work space if you are struggling in that department in your kitchen. As it is on wheels, it can be moved to the side when you don’t need it.

The compartments underneath give much needed added storage (following the law of never enough kitchen storage!).

Ikea Kallax Industrial Shelf Hack

Source: Grillo Design

We love this fun KALLAX hack that would look great in a boys room. Grillo Design have taken a KALLAX 2×2 unit and added upholstery nails to create the rivet effect around the outside edge. They then simply painted the outside in a grey, the inside in orange and used a product called silver leaf wax that gives the metallic effect you can see in the finished hack.

It’s a great way to create something with a metallic look for a piece of furniture that could fit into an industrial decor scheme.

Ikea Kallax Wall of Shelving Hack

Source: freundevonfreunden

We had the tall KALLAX shelving unit with one stacked on top of another, then we had the room divider hack with a small KALLAX unit stacked on top of a larger one, now feast your eyes on the bank of KALLAX units! This offering from freundevonfreunden isn’t so much a hack as a large collection of KALLAX units!

Of course, this only works in certain (large) spaces, but shows you the kind of dramatic effect you can create when you just oversize something. You could do this with 4×4 units and 2×4 units if you don’t have as much ceiling height. We think a sliding library style ladder would be a great addition to this shelving!

The use of so many units makes whatever you put in the compartments become integral elements in your decor scheme. Mundane items such as filing boxes become decorative at this scale, especially if you organise them with this in mind.

Ikea Kallax Mid Century Bar Hack

Source: Dash of Jazz

You might notice a few drink related KALLAX hacks in this post, it’s not a reflection of our lifestyle…honestly! This mid-century bar sideboard from Dash of Jazz is a really cool modern take on an Ercol unit. They have used standard Ikea drawer and door inserts with a wood grain contact paper covering to create the same look as an Ercol piece.

The versatility of the KALLAX unit allows you to create exactly the drinks cabinet you want in terms of drawers, cupboards, open compartments. You could even add the wine rack insert from earlier.

Ikea Kallax Elegant Bench Hack

Source: Craft Box Girls

This is a particularly pretty Ikea KALLAX hack from Craft Box Girls with beautiful square turned legs (set on the diagonal to give an added bit of intersest to the look) and floral patterns on the insert boxes and seat padding. This creation would be perfect for a hallway and even provides storage for shoes after you’ve sat down to take them off.

The upholstered seat is really quite simple to achieve with upholstery foam, fabric and a staple gun. The extra set of legs in the middle are actually necessary to take the extra weight of a person sitting on the bench.

Ikea Kallax Dresser Hack

Source: Remodelaholic

This hack from Remodelaholic would also look great as a hallway dresser if you have the room for it. It is a very simple KALLAX hack, just adding a frame for the unit to be raised up slightly on and them a baseboard all the way around. That may be simple, but it completely trransforms the KALLAX into something much more sophisticated.

The addition of both drawer inserts and basket inserts give the dresser and chic farmhouse style. The added bonus of carefully selected accessories on top as well as a stunning large round mirror add to the stylish look. You can even get the STOCKHOLM round mirror from Ikea, which is what we have in our hallway!

Ikea Kallax Mid Century Drinks Cabinet Hack

Source: The Everygirl

Another drinks related KALLAX hack! Why do these keep catching our attention!? This one from The Everygirl makes a very easy, small addition of short tapered legs with brass leg caps. You can buy the legs as they are, or find tapered legs and add the caps to them.

Add in glasses for every occasion and some exceptional accessories on top (we love that picture of the ornate pink door!) and you’ve got a great statement piece for any living room.

Ikea Kallax Art Deco Dresser Hack

Source: The Pink Dream

Once again, what is quite a simple hack has completely transformed this KALLAX unit in this hack from The Pink Dream. They have used a greek style overlay to provide the shape which are simply glued to the doors and then have added ring pulls, all of which creates a lovely art deco design. You could also take it a step further by adding legs underneath.

The use of an ornate gold over-mantle mirror with some gorgeous flowers in front adds to the elegant look. You can get some excellent (and cheap) artificial flowers from Ikea!

Ikea Kallax Dolls House Hack

Source: mikrokosmos on Facebook

An Ikea KALLAX hack for the kids! This wonderful dolls house hack from mikrokosmos on Facebook makes great use of the KALLAX shape to provide rooms for the dolls house. A simple A-frame roof has been added to the top. The back walls of the rooms have all been treated with a different wallpaper design, presumably dolls house wallpaper for scale! You can also get different floor coverings. When you dive into the world of dolls houses it’s a rabbit hole!

Ikea do sell dolls house furniture of some of their own favourite pieces but you could also make your own (or buy them while lost in the aforementioned rabbit hole!). YouTube is a great resource for dolls house furniture craft, just search for “DIY dolls house…..” plus the piece of furniture you are making.

Ikea Kallax Apothecary Cubby Hack

Source: Petal & Ply

Who doesn’t like an apothecary cubby? Well, the creators at Petal & Ply were so keen they made this one by hacking a KALLAX unit they were given for free. This tutorial involves a bit more work than a lot of the others, but the results are fantastic!

We love the vintage glassware and crockery they have filled the cubby with. I think coloured glassware is going to make a much needed return to popularity and this is such a great way to display it!

Ikea Kallax Copper Clothes Rail Hack

Source: Emily’s Little World

A great opportunity to have a go at a bit of plumbing! This Ikea KALLAX hack from Emily’s Little World uses copper pipe to create a hanging rail for this mobile wardrobe. You could either go for soldered joints (which would require a blow torch, flux and solder) or compression fittings, which would just require a couple of spanners. Alternatively you could try gluing the solder joints, but this may not be strong enough in the long term.

The base has had castors added to allow the unit to be moved around.

Ikea Kallax Cat Bed Hack

Source: Supercat Sweden

Are we just adding this because the cat looks so cute? Probably, but it’s also such a great idea and the cat bed is specifically made for a KALLAX. You can get them from Supercat in Sweden, or you can get them on amazon or have a go at making one yourself with stiffened felt.

Cats love to be cosy and have a view of what is going on around them, so this is such a good way of giving them their own space but in a stylsh way!

Ikea Kallax Cactus Hack

Source: StickersColoray via Etsy

We are currently creating a cactus themed nursery and so this Ikea KALLAX hack stood right out to us. The mid-century tapered legs start the transformation off in good syle but the addition of the cactus decals from StickersColoray on Etsy to the KALLAX insert fronts really lifts the unit to new heights. Having plants in the open compartments really helps the continuity of the look.

Of course, you could choose from a whoile range of decals specifically made for the KALLAX, but cactii are big right now! We love how bright the overall finished hack is and will consider something like this in our nursery!

Ikea Kallax Banquette Hack

Source: Melo-Drama

A banquette is a great way to provide both seating and storage in a dining room and can help add colour and texture to the room with the fabric used on the upholstery. This great KALLAX hack from Melo-Drama goes with a striped theme (even down to the boxes used underneath!) but as you will see in the tutorial you could go for any design you can imagine!

The KALLAX is the perfect height (with the addition of the foam padding) for a dining room seat which is just another example of how well designed this piece of furniture from Ikea is. It really lends itself perfectly to a variety of hacking possibilities.

Ikea Kallax Ornate Console Hack

Source: Stylkea

Stylkea offer a huge range of creative panels that you can add to almost any piece of Ikea furniture. This great KALLAX hack uses a gold mirrored effect panel added to the KALLAX insert doors to create an impressive, ornate console table. They have also added long, tapered, capped legs to enhance the look.

The addition of some oriental blue and white china seems the perfect fit!

Be honest, you wouldn’t believe this started out as an Ikea KALLAX if you saw this is a hallway would you?

Ikea Kallax Stylish Media Unit Hack

Source: digsdigs

One final offering that makes the most of the perfect vinyl-size of the KALLAX. This media unit hack from digsdigs is a collection of three different sized KALLAX shelves fixed together and raised up on short tapered wooden legs.

The difference to the other KALLAX hacks that contain vinyl records is that this one uses a clever insert to separate the records into categories. We also love the use of non-matching inserts elsewhere to give an eclectic look to the unit. It’s one of those creations that gets more and more clever as you look at it for longer. Just to prove my point, as I was writing that I noticed that the middle KALLAX unit has been fitted to the others without it’s side panels to make sure it has a continuous look without doubling up on the chunky side panels. Clever!

If you have to have all your media in one place, you could do a lot worse than this great KALLAX system

I think the KALLAX is one of our favourite Ikea creations due to it’s massive versatility and simplicity. We’ve certainly shown that there are so many ways you can hack the KALLAX to create something perfect for your space. In fact, I think you could probably think of any piece of furniture you need and find a way to make it by hacking the KALLAX!

Have you found something here that you have been inspired to make, or even been spurred on the design something entirely original. We’d love to hear from you with your creations!

Good luck with your KALLAX adventures, and if you want more Ikea hack and DIY ideas then follow us on Pinterest where we gather all the best Ikea hack ideas.